13 Books That Didn't Forget About Thanksgiving

From cooking mishaps to major family dysfunctions to romantic grand gestures, these books got the holiday covered.

You know how it goes: Halloween ends, and everyone rushes to start celebrating Christmas and the winter holidays, forgetting all about Thanksgiving.

FOX / Via giphy.com

Well, not here! There are plenty of wonderful holiday season books, and there will be plenty of lists about them soon. But for now, if you want to read a book with a great Thanksgiving scene to get you emotionally prepared for Turkey Day, we've got some recommendations for you.

1. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

G.P. Putnam's Sons

When you think of Thanksgiving drama, you probably think of that iconic Gossip Girl episode — "Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo playing as everyone reveals each other’s darkest secrets at the dinner table. If you want to read a book with a similar “sh*t has hit the fan” level of drama at the Thanksgiving table, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is the book for you. 

When nanny Emira brings her boyfriend Kelley to Thanksgiving dinner at her boss Alix’s house, she learns the hard way that the two used to date in college, and their ending was messy — she’d heard all about it from Alix before she knew she was dating her ex. But he remembers it all differently, and he makes sure to let Emira know that. Desperate to change the narrative again, Alix breaks Emira’s trust by hacking her email and leaking something she didn’t want out in the public, then blames it on Kelley. If you wanna know where it goes from there, you’ll have to read it for yourself.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.    

2. Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

Wednesday Books

Ollie’s plans for Thanksgiving go up in flames when a family member’s health takes a turn for the worse, but his crush, Will — who is also his former fling who now pretends nothing happened between them — saves the day with an invite to his family’s bustling celebration. Instead of feeding his niece and nephew McDonalds, Ollie gets to feed them pernil, hallacas, and ensalada de gallina, courtesy of Will’s big family. The holiday also provides Will and Ollie the opportunity to see each other outside of school and reignite the spark they felt the previous summer, even though their reunion is quickly interrupted.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

3. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

St. Martin's Griffin

How romantic are turkeys? Well, that depends who you ask. If you’re asking a reader of the beloved 2019 romance novel Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, they’d probably tell you turkeys can be very romantic. Especially the act of pardoning turkeys, and offering to stow them in your hotel room, partially because you find the idea of pardoned turkeys having their own fancy hotel suite a bit ridiculous. This is exactly the situation Alex Claremont-Diaz, First Son of the United States, finds himself in. And when the terror of being surrounded by turkeys in an enclosed space sets in, he texts his kinda friend/kinda crush (who happens to be a prince) for moral support, and ends up having a *really* sweet first phone call with him, making it a pivotal moment in their romance. 

Turkeys, huh? Bet we could make them romantic.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.  

4. Big Chicas Don't Cry by Annette Chavez Macias

Montlake

Big Chicas Don’t Cry is a book about food and family, the two most essential parts of Thanksgiving. So, it makes sense that one Thanksgiving helps cousins Gracie and Mari find their way back to each other after growing apart. Finding herself alone after her marriage has ended, Mari is happy to help feed the homeless at the church Gracie volunteers at. And those who receive her food — stuffing made from homemade sourdough bread — are grateful, too. When Mari learns that the church feeds the homeless every Sunday, she volunteers to contribute weekly, which means more time spent with Gracie, and more time getting back to the person she was when they were younger.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. 

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

MTV Books

For a 15-year-old, Charlie has some pretty impressive emotional intelligence, which is really showcased in the Thanksgiving scene of this contemporary classic. He makes the observation that it’s fascinating to see his extended family gather because they all love each other, but no one likes each other. He also examines who understands whom, like how his brother gets his grandfather, but no one else does, and he explores the complicated family dynamics that are created from his grandfather’s cold and hostile attitude. The only thing that pauses the fighting for this particular Thanksgiving is watching Charlie’s brother play football on TV: Charlie even gives thanks for this. At the end of the day, he kisses his grandfather goodbye on the cheek, even though he knows his grandfather doesn’t like when the men in his family show affection, because he doesn’t want to have regrets.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.    

6. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Square Fish

Holidays aren’t exactly Hallmark-inspired at Melinda’s house, so it’s no surprise to her when Thanksgiving goes awry. First, her mom fails to thaw the turkey, then she escapes to work. Then, her dad tries to turn the turkey into a soup and fails, opting to get rid of the evidence of his failed attempt at Thanksgiving dinner by burying the turkey bones in the backyard and ordering a pizza. But Melinda digs up the bones and turns it into her most accomplished art project yet, impressing her art teacher Mr. Freeman and her classmate Ivy.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. 

7. Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong

Picador USA

Rachel Khong’s Goodbye, Vitamin tackles one of the sadder aspects of family gatherings: the knowing that this will likely be the last one you get to spend with one of your family members. Ruth knows that her dad, who has Alzheimers, probably won’t be around next Thanksgiving. She writes about this last Thanksgiving, describing it to her father: how he acted, what he said, what they laughed at. It's bittersweet in the best way. 

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.    

8. With and Without You by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Viking Books for Young Readers

Thanksgiving can actually be a very personal holiday when it falls during an awkward time in your relationship, like when you’re trying to decide if it’s gone stale and is over for good or just needs a spark to bring it back to life. And that’s exactly the scenario that Siena finds herself in when her newly long distance boyfriend visits for the holiday. Patrick fits in so well with her family, he’s like a part of the furniture, so how can she be thinking of breaking up with him? Especially when minutes before dinner is served, they’re engaging in some of their hottest flirting ever, reminiscent of when they first fell for each other…

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.    

9. Lessons in Love by Jody Holford

Kindle

This romance novel, part of the Isn’t It Sweet collection from Jody Holford, perfectly captures the anxiety and uncertainty around navigating inviting your new partner over for the holidays. Is it too much? Too soon? Will it scare them off or send the wrong message? Carter and Hazel teach at the same school, where they’ve been keeping their relationship secret — it’s also hidden from Hazel’s daughter, Zoe, who’s a student of Carter’s. But secrets complicate things, and every time Carter gets the nerve up to ask Hazel to join him for Thanksgiving, a complication stops him. Hazel’s ex still being in the picture makes navigating the holidays even harder, but by the end, they figure it out — with the help of a meddling teenage daughter who finally knows the truth. 

Get it from Amazon.   

10. To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Simon & Schuster

Thanksgiving is a reminder of what Lara Jean Covey is missing: her mom. It’s evident when she’s cooking dinner all by herself and making mistakes: cooking the turkey upside down, getting inventive with the green bean side and hating the result. And if she forgets for a moment, she’s reminded when her visiting maternal grandma asks how she’d feel if her father started dating again. If you’ve read the books (or watched the movies), you know how Lara Jean’s next Thanksgiving goes.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.    

11. The Martian by Andy Weir

Ballantine Books

This science fiction novel-turned-film has a very stark and different Thanksgiving scene than most books on this list. After Mark Watney becomes stranded on Mars, he spends Thanksgiving wondering what his family is doing — his guess is that they've just finished having a funeral for him, as he's been presumed dead. But a few days later, Thanksgiving is the reason Mark has some sustenance. Even though he's the last astronaut left from his mission, when the trip was planned, potatoes were packed for the whole crew: the first non-freeze dried food he's seen in a while. But he can't eat them; he has to plant them, so that he'll have food to sustain for him for the rest of his time on Mars...however long that is.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. 

12. The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff

St. Martin's Press

Who said Thanksgiving can't be spooky? In fact, considering it's the holiday that follows Halloween, maybe it should be celebrated in a spooky season way more often. Alexandra Sokoloff agrees. Everyone has their own personal hell, and for the cast of this book, going home for the holidays is up there. When Thanksgiving weekend rolls around, Robin opts to stay behind at her school, Baird, rather than go home and see her mother. She's not the only one who decided to stay back, and soon, she meets four other students who are avoiding home for their own reasons. But there's another presence on their creepy college campus, letting them all know they're not as alone as they presumed they were. Maybe staying behind isn't as safe as they thought it would be.

Get it from Amazon. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.    

13. Lease on Love by Falon Ballard

G.P. Putnam's Sons

Sadie is drunk and down on her luck when she accidentally swipes right on Jack in a roommate app, thinking it's a dating app. She realizes her mistake when she shows up on the doorstep of his Brooklyn brownstone, but it all works out, since she was looking for a new place to live. So, she moves in and tries to pretend she isn't attracted to Jack, which results in a super slowburn. This sweet romance isn't complete without the cast of great friends who round out the table at Thanksgiving, making for the most enviable Friendsgiving ever...and a very sweet romantic scene that we won't spoil for you.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.